PA Parents Charged After Girl Rides in Cage in Pickup Bed

By Gilbert Falso :: 12:41 PM

The parents of a Millvale, Pennsylvania 10-year-old were charged with endangering the welfare of a child after motorists on the Pennsylvania Turnpike called authorities to report that the child was riding in a cage in the back of their pickup trick.

A Reddit user, Manofmail, snapped the picture above on Monday evening as he passed the truck on the highway. The girl was in the cage with a small dog. Manofmail and other motorists made several calls to Pennsylvania State Police, reporting the direction, mile marker location, and license plane number of the truck as it traveled on the highway.

State Police used the license plate to track the vehicle’s registration information, and officers from Millvale were waiting on an adjacent road when the parents turned down the street on their way home.

The girl’s mother, Abbey Carlson, and her stepfather Thomas Fishinger, were both charged in the incident. Fishinger told authorities that the girl had requested to ride in the cage with the dog.